Most English as a Second Language students have sat through many dry lessons where they've simply learned vocabulary or phrases and repeated it numerous times. While it is necessary to increase one's ability to speak, equally important is improving the audible skills of ESL learners. With a little bit of effort you can spice up your listening comprehension exercises in the classroom.

Sitcoms

One of the best ways to help individuals learning English is to show sitcoms with subtitles. This accomplishes three things:

1. It familiarizes students with native English speaking language patterns.

2. It helps students internalize the words spoken which broadens their vocabulary base.

3. Students get a better grasp of American humor and are better able to understand sarcasm or jokes.

Shows like "Everybody Loves Raymond" are wonderful for this exercise because the subjects are relatively clean and the humor is simple enough for even basic ESL students to grasp. As a side benefit, students learn a ton about body language and how it relates to dialogue.

You can find many sitcoms on Youtube.com and other sites, but if you want them with subtitles, you'll have to purchase them or rent them from a library.

Story Time

Another way to improve listening comprehension is to give students handouts with words of a story or article missing. The teacher then reads out loud the entire text while students fill in the blanks. Usually it's necessary to read the manuscript twice so students can write everything down.

Find text that is engaging or applicable to the students' lives. If the ESL learners enjoy what they are hearing they are more apt to truly listen to the words being spoken.

Don't be afraid to vary speaking speed either; this will improve students listening comprehension. Also to further enhance the value of this exercise, make sure you explain any difficult phrases or vocabulary words.

Music

Find songs that are appropriate for the age group you are teaching and introduce them to the class.

First play the song and if possible the accompanying music video in its entirety. Then present the lyrics to the students and explain what they mean. Be sure to point out any difficult phrases as well.

Replay the music and let the students truly soak in the message of the song.

Finally end your lesson by having students write a paragraph or essay related to the music. Give them a thought-provoking question. For instance, if the song was about freedom, ask them: Does freedom never cry?

Many music videos, songs, and lyrics can be found on Youtube and other sites around the Internet, so there's no need to spend any money on this activity.

Try and select songs that have educational value. Some song topics you might want to consider are:

*History
*Happiness

Generally, students love this activity because it often provides them new insights into subject matters they haven't previously given much thought to.